One of the Amerind languages, Araucanian is still spoken by one of the larger linguistic communities of the southern half of South America. It has no close relatives.

Araucanian was once spoken over most of central Chile, from Copiapo, five hundred kilometres North of Santiago, southwards to the Island of Chiloe, and all the way across Argentina to the Bay of Comodoro Rivadavia. Now a days Araucanian speakers have almost disappeared from Argentina, and other parts.

Araucanian has contributed to Spanish - thus to English - the word Gaucho (Araucanian caucho - nomad , adventurer) which became the named for the mixed Arcaunian origin and Spanish nomadic population of the Pampas.